San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had a tough 2024 season compared to how great things went in 2023.
Former NFL quarterback Andrew Luck believes that Purdy may have been pressing a little bit last season.
Luck was asked about Purdy on KNBR as the hosts compared his struggles to the ones the former Indianapolis Colts quarterback had at times in his career.
Luck had this to say:
“Yeah, no, I think it's an absolutely natural response for the quarterback, especially one who cares deeply about the team and performance. There's nothing easy in the game of football. There's certainly nothing easy in the NFL.
"And from afar, it does seem like Brock is an incredibly self-aware person who strives to get better. And it takes a level of self-awareness to understand yourself. He maybe perhaps was pressing last year.
"But his journey will be a fun one to watch. And he's an incredible quarterback. I'm glad he's here in our backyard."
You can listen to the full interview below:
Luck was obviously very measured in his response and was in no way being critical of Purdy. Really, the hosts were just asking him to respond to Purdy's own admission that he was trying to do too much at times last season.
The former signal-caller for the Stanford Cardinal is right that Purdy's self-awareness is a big factor in his ability to diagnose his own struggles. Some quarterbacks would be too stubborn and headstrong to admit that they tried to do too much, but Purdy wants to do everything he can to win, and sometimes what it takes is doing less even when you feel like you have to do more.
One cannot blame Purdy for feeling like he had to be Superman last season. San Francisco had so many injuries that Purdy likely felt pressure to make big plays and take risks that he didn't have to take in 2023 when the team was often playing with a lead.
Even 49ers legend Joe Montana believes Purdy was pressing a bit last season. He felt that the Niners were taking too many uncharacteristic chances in 2024 on offense that got them into trouble. One of Montana's former teammates even likened Purdy to Montana in some respects.
If Purdy is aware of the issue, that means he should play within himself more in 2025. Even though San Francisco lost several players in the offseason, the youthful quarterback still has a lot of star power around him on offense. If he can get the ball in the hands of his playmakers, that is all Purdy truly has to do.
As for Luck, he is trying to revive Stanford's football program as the general manager of the program. He has his work cut out for him, but it is nice he is at least offering Purdy a little bit of helpful advice QB to QB as the Niners look to rebound in 2025.